


They Say It's Your Birthday

by Cheshire_Cat



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, here have some fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-02
Updated: 2013-02-02
Packaged: 2017-11-27 21:02:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/666451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshire_Cat/pseuds/Cheshire_Cat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry knows he shouldn't be sad, but he is, because Liam forgot his birthday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	They Say It's Your Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this really fast so I'm sorry if it's terrible. Also, it's still technically Harry's birthday here in the US, so.
> 
> You can also find me on [Tumblr](http://whyitgrins.tumblr.com) :)

Harry tries not to think about it.  Really, he does.  He knows they’ve been busy, and it’s not personal, and there are all sorts of reasons for Liam forgetting.  Like, maybe he dropped his phone in a puddle and then a dog picked it up and ran away with it.  Or something.  Anyway, there _must_ be a plausible explanation for why Liam seems to have forgotten his birthday.

He hasn’t even finished scrolling through all the birthday wishes on Twitter, and he knows there’ll be a huge influx of things mailed in from fans.  The other lads have already tweeted and texted him, as well as just about everybody he knows, but Liam’s been strangely silent.  It’s weird—he’d usually be one of the first, texting Harry just after midnight in all capitals with seven exclamation points.  But today, nothing.  He didn’t even come to Harry’s party last night.  Liam’s been very odd for about a month now, actually.  Not so that anybody else could notice it—he’s still the same in interviews and when they perform, but otherwise he seems to be avoiding Harry, never really talking to him more than a minute or so before awkwardly shifting away to go hang out with the others.  It makes Harry sad.  He doesn’t like not hanging out with Liam.

Harry gazes out the cab window, watching London slide by.  There’s just the lightest dusting of snow on the ground, but the sky is clear, and the air is sharp and cold.  He’s just come from a birthday dinner with his family, who’re staying at his house.  He was going to stay with them, but he really felt like being alone, for some reason, so he texted Ed, who’s out of town, and asked to crash at his place.  That’s where he’s headed now.

Harry checks his phone again, but still nothing.  Not a tweet, not a text, not a call from Liam, and now it’s almost midnight, and his birthday’s almost over.  Harry sighs and resigns himself.  Liam forgot his birthday.

He thanks the cabbie and pays him before walking quickly to the building, fueled by the cold as well as his desire to avoid being seen by paparazzi.  They probably won’t be looking for him here, though.

Harry’s just settling in with some tea and a shitty romantic comedy when there’s a knock on the door.

Harry pauses the TV and goes to answer it.  He finds Liam standing outside, cheeks flushed from the cold and holding, of all things, a bouquet of roses.

“Liam?”

“Harry!”  Liam’s panting, as though he ran here.  “Shit, you weren’t at your house, and your mum said you’d come here, and then I couldn’t get a cab so I had to take the tube and I didn’t get a chance to get you a real present and—” He breaks off, out of breath.  He shoves the flowers at Harry and finishes with,

“Happy birthday.”

“Thanks,” Harry says, taking the flowers hesitantly.  “D’you, um, d’you want to come in?”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Liam says, still trying to catch his breath.  “I just, um, I just want to say—look, I’ve been sort of an arse lately, and I just—”

“It’s okay,” Harry says.

“No, it’s not, I just, um… I don’t really… Look, I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you, I just, um…” Liam passes a hand in front of his eyes.  “I’ve kind of realized something, lately, and, um, I don’t really know how to say it?  So, um… yeah.”  Liam takes a breath and says softly, “I think I love you, Harry.”

“Of course,” Harry says, confused.  “I love you too, Li.”

“No, I—” Liam runs a hand through his hair.  “I mean, like, I _love_ you.”

And suddenly, he reaches across and grabs Harry’s face, kissing him hard. Harry’s eyes widen, and he stares at Liam when he pulls back.

“Oh,” is all he can manage, and then, “ _Oh!_ ”

“Yeah.”

Harry glances at the flowers in his hands, then back up at Liam, who’s staring at him, waiting.  Harry only pauses a moment before leaning in and kissing Liam back.  Liam gasps a bit, then smiles, wrapping his arms around Harry’s waist.

“You should come in,” Harry murmurs.  “I was gonna watch a movie.”

“Okay,” Liam replies, and they go in and settle on the couch, kissing in front of the television, tentatively at first.  Their kisses gain confidence, though, so by the time the movie’s over and Liam asks to stay over, all Harry does is nod and think to himself that, in retrospect, this has been a pretty good birthday.


End file.
